#i really liked this style so i might do this again but with human nash!!! i tried my hardest here but it’s surprisingly difficult to make

[slightlyplant]

LET’S MESS IT UPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[minithefutureawaits09]

You said, “Jump” instead I fell hard for you. (Part 2.)

Pairing: Spirk

Universe: AOS, teen-fic.

A/n: This may or may not end up a series because...because...I...dunno we’ll see. Link to part one :https://minithefutureawaits09.tumblr.com/post/650840335516336128/another-drabble-cause-why-not-pairing-spirk

Any who’s, Let’s begin.

——

Jim sat feeling awkward in the foyer of the Embassy. He’d been told by the woman at the desk that she’d sent a message and Spock would come down to retrieve him. This place was well-taken care of. From the shiny marble floors to the Vulcan script on the walls. Every detail in its place. He felt extremely underdressed.

With his plain brown jacket, black t-shirt, jeans, and worn tennis shoes. His hair he’d bothered to make look decent at least, rather than the messy unkempt style from day to day. The sofa was nice too, a simple blue color to complement the rest of the room. If he was being honest it reminded him of the Emerald City from "The Wizard of Oz," just with the way they had described it and the way this room looks. Just as he started to wonder if he’s been forgotten about a voice says his name,

“Jim?”

”Over here, Spock.”

He stands up and waves, shoving his free hand into his pocket. A smile tugged his lips upward as he eyed the other’s outfit. It was a set of robes, much more casual and comfortable looking but similar to the one that the receptionist was wearing. It was a solid black with soft grey designs over it and again, much nicer than what he was wearing. He held onto both of Spock’s arms loosely as he stood much closer. Taking in those brown orbs as they reflected the light, yet seemed to have a nervous glitz about them.

“I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about me,”

“I apologize, though I did not forget, the elevator took longer than anticipated arriving.”

“It’s alright. How’re you this morning?” “I am functioning adequately, and yourself?”

“I’m tired, but happy to see you.” “Did you not get enough sleep last night?”

“It’s from the trip here, it was a bit farther than I thought it was.” “I see. Though, I am pleased to see you as well.” “So...”

“Shall we head back for chess?”

“Sure. Lead the way, Spock.”

Jim took hold of Spock’s arm as though he was being escorted. He could see the way he seemed a little bothered, but didn’t say anything. Was he making him uncomfortable? He didn’t seem uncomfortable last night from his touch, in fact it was the opposite. Well...It also might have to do with the receptionist who seemed keen on staring at them, it was just them at the park last night. He made uncomfortable eye contact with her a couple of times.

Once in the safety of the elevator, Jim asked quietly,

“Spock, am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Not at all, Jim. It has just been a few years since I have been touched like that.”

“Alright. If you say so.”

It wasn’t a lie, etiquette classes had been almost 7.5 years ago. Though this was likely not what Jim was intending by his question. He knew was referring to the way Spock’s posture had stiffened which was actually a reaction he both couldn’t quite control in time and didn’t know he had. He also realized this may be an opportunity to talk to his partner about the differences in their culture.

They arrived at the door in silence, Spock put in the code, and it slid open. He followed him into the room. Wow. It looked similar to the apartment he and his mom were staying in, though arranged differently.

They were standing in a hallway-like area, on the right, were two small archways that lead to the kitchen and a dining room. On the left, there were three closed doors, he guessed one was the bathroom and had no idea what the others could be. At the end of the hall where it opened up, he guessed might be a living room and a couple of bedrooms.

Spock took his jacket, and he removed his shoes next to the Vulcan's.

“This way, ”

Jim nodded and he took hold of Spock’s hand, who warmly closed his hand around the human’s. He was lead into the open room. He smiled, he’d guessed right. The room was the living room. Decorated with a couple of black sofas, a glass coffee table, and a television on the wall. There were a couple of wide floor-to-ceiling windows on either side of the tv and they both had light grey curtains that appeared to be silk.

There was a small table that he hadn’t noticed, by one of the doors. It had two wooden chairs on either side. Spock let go of his hand and pulled out one of the chairs, gesturing for him to sit. So, he sat down and was effortlessly pushed in.

“If you will wait here, I will go retrieve the chess set.”

Jim nodded and Spock disappeared back down the hall. He heard a door open and close. He let out a sigh. He wondered if the Vulcan felt as out of place as he did at the moment. He likely didn’t the young human reasoned, and he seemed way stiffer than when they’d meet at the library. Did Spock even notice the change in his behavior or was Jim overthinking & over analyzing things that weren’t there? Was he trying to read the fine print that didn’t exist, or between the lines thinking some secret message is going to show? Maybe this wasn’t a good idea- No. He wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to hang out with his friend.

First the long and tedious walk here, then the awkward talk with the receptionist, the underdressed feeling, and now the stiff boyfriend. Could his day be going any more funky? He sighed again. The word pulled the boy up short now that he thought about it. Boyfriend. B-o-y-f-r-i-e-n-d. This was the first serious committed relationship in his life. Although his company was certainly not appriciated nor welcomed in the beginning he honestly isn’t sure what he’s going to do without it. Sure, he’s lived before without the Vulcan’s presence in his life but he’s not sure he can go back to doing so again.

The blonde was scared from his thoughts by a sniffle. He lifted his hands to his eyes to realize they were wet. Had he been crying? He doesn’t remember ever starting. He wiped the tears away with his hand, but they kept coming. He heard the door down the hall open and he started to panic. Jesus Christ, why can’t he hold it together all of a sudden?

He places his head down, face hidden by his arms as he hopes maybe his partner will think he fell asleep in the shot time from exhaustion. He’s saying a silent prayer his breathing isn’t going to be the thing to give it away. He could always blame it on a nightmare. Yeah, that’s what he’ll do. Say he fell asleep briefly after laying his head down and boom. Nightmare happened.

He heard footsteps and the faint noise of game pieces in a box coming toward his general direction and stopping closely.

“Jim?”

He opted not to respond. He’d have to come up with another excuse if he did.

He heard the box be sat down in front of him, and a gentle shake of his shoulder followed. Again no response. When the shake firmed up he moved quickly, wide-eyed and a gasp. The hand had shot back out of surprise as quickly as possible. He wiped at his eyes as a few tears continued to fall.

He glanced over at Spock and at first he saw a surprised look come across his face when he moved so suddenly before the Vulcan pulled whatever emotion he was feeling back under control.

“Jim, are you alright?“

“Y—Yeah, jus’ a Nightmare I suppose,”

God who’s cracking sad voice was that?

“Did you actually sleep adequately last night?”

“B—Best I could, I did have a few terrors last night too,”

And they were real bad, he was up for awhile after with his mom. Though why did he just admit that? He internally scolds himself. There was no reason for that.

“Come,”

Spock had taken one of his hands and was pulling him up and leading him to somewhere.

“But what about—”

“The chess game can wait,”

“But I-”

“Jim, please.”

Jim conceded the argument after that, and stood up. He felt an arm around his waist and was pulled close to the Vulcan, his free hand resting against the chest in front of him. Letting go of his hand momentarily, and with a gentle touch, the blonde felt his tears be wiped away. He looked up to meet the other’s concerned look. Though his face remained neutral for the most part, he could see the gloss of concern coating those chocolate like orbs he’s coming to adore, and the hint of a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth.

He looks away feeling ashamed, this was a stupid idea; his cheeks start prickling with warmth as he feels the tears form against his will in his eyes. Spock rests his forehead against his partner’s, and the floodgates open. He tries to shove away, to pull himself together and stop making an embarrassment of himself but the firm grasp around him only tightens.

“It is alright Jim,”

A firm but gentle voice tells him. He’s acutely aware of the swaying motion that started. It’s actually what got his attention; that and the warmth surrounding his thoughts. Emotions that are not his own flowing freely. Understanding, reassurance, were the strongest followed by one he’s unsure of. Admiration? What was admirable about his ugly crying, or the half lie he told? What was so admirable about him in this state?

The warmth around his thoughts pulled a little firmer as the voice whispered,

‘Nash-veh ashaya du,’

He opened his eyes, just as the action was mirrored by his partner.

“Is that you I’m feeling?”

He heard the chuckle in his head that confirmed his question. It was. A smile broke out on his face, even if it was still pink and puffy from his tears. He felt himself be guided over to one of the sofas.

His memory has a small gap. He’s not sure exactly how they got into this potion because in all honesty he was busy mentally talking with Spock. He was listening to his explanation what the difference of what their touch last night versus now was.

It was likely Jim was too out of it to really comprehend what Spock was saying. He wasn’t reacting at all like he’d calculated precisely, or maybe he had overestimate, or— That’s when he felt the leveled out breathing. The stilled mind under his fingers, which he withdrew for a much more comfortable position leaving behind a pleasant tingling sensation. Just picking up on Jim’s surface thoughts now, surface emotions. He closed his eyes and before he knew it, he too joined the other in sleep.

[tillidontneedfantasy]

‘Fine Line’ - Harry Styles REVIEW: Finding His Balance

“When I played it for the label, I told them, ‘This is the first single. It’s two minutes, thirty-five. You’re welcome,’” Harry Styles recalls when discussing “Lights Up” in a track-by-track breakdown of his second solo studio effort, Fine Line, with Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield. Thank you, indeed. “Lights Up” was an excellent first single choice for a number of reasons, now all the more clear in the context of the album. Though oddly structured and not particularly radio-friendly, it’s interesting, catchy, short and to the point: as much as you try to hide who you are, once the lights are up, those watching will know, so you might as well shine; but do you know?

Just as importantly, does Harry? Fine Line is a vague exploration of the self, both personally and musically, filled with cryptic platitudes and slick guitar riffs. However, the one aspect of himself Styles seems to be most acquainted with, and thus most comfortable sharing, is the “dark running through” his heart that cannot be extinguished by all the lights; in fact, it is amplified. Perhaps Styles finds it difficult to be honest in his relationships, but Fine Line is sprinkled with dark confessions, most notably in a series in the middle of the album (immediately following “Lights Up”): “I can tell that you are at your best / I’m selfish so I’m hating it” in “Cherry,” a track of spewing bitter jealousy; “There’s no one to blame but the drink and my wandering hands” in “Falling,” a heart-wrenching ballad for the books; “I’m just an arrogant son of a bitch / who can’t admit when he’s sorry,” in the pleasant-sounding yet morose ditty “To Be So Lonely.”

Those confessionals are the strongest demonstrations of Styles’s songwriting potential, and are the meat and bones of Fine Line’s takeaway: losing someone you once loved can cause you to almost lose yourself. Hopefully, you find yourself along the road to healing; but Styles often leaves the listener wondering if he really does know who he is now or not. What we do know is two things: 1) The end of his last relationship caused a lot of pain and introspection and 2) The man likes to have sex. Understandable points. Good equation for a successful album.

BEST TRACK: “Fine Line”

The title track and closer, “Fine Line” immediately invokes emotion as soon as it begins, and it only intensifies throughout its six-minute and eighteen-second duration. As the song moves along, new elements are subtly and meticulously added, layered in with his low and almost careful singing in a way that sounds like nature. Around four minutes in, the song really starts to come alive, the instrumentation building and building towards an outro that reaches a crescendo at Styles’s final “we’ll be alright,” and then perfectly finishes with high-pitch vocal notes that feel like freedom before it drifts out with a few light piano notes. While its message about maintaining balance on the fine line between the extremes of love resonates, the real victory of this song is its ability to move you with just the music. Despite its length, it always feels like it ends too soon.

WEAKEST TRACK: “Golden”

While a pleasant-sounding opener and a good tone-setter for the rest of the record sonically, “Golden” could have been cut in half, with about twenty fewer repetitions of the title, and used as more of brief introduction or interlude instead. In contrast to the closer, “Fine Line,” which is the longest song on the album and includes just as much- if not more- repetitions of its title, it serves a purpose in that song, whereas in “Golden” it feels like filler. This monotonous track is the most prominent example of how often Styles’s lyrics seem to be lacking; he surely has the ability to improve, he just needs to access it.

THE IN-BETWEENS

Luckily for Styles, the production on this album is so outrageously good that it’s enough to keep you interested throughout. “She,” a six-minute psychedelic rock song is an epic trip (I mean, Styles’s guitarist, Mitch Rowland, wrote it on mushrooms, go figure) into a daydream with the perfect woman who doesn’t exist. “Canyon Moon” is a road-trip-ready, light, feel-good song where his musical influences are rather apparent; Styles cites Joni Mitchell and Crosby, Stills, and Nash as his muses, and another idol of his, Steve Nicks, claims it to be her favorite track on the record, a lovely feat. The pre-released singles “Lights Up,” “Watermelon Sugar,” and “Adore You” are sincerely all pop perfection, more mature and refined from his 1D days. The most experimental track, “Treat People With Kindness,” is interesting but falls short for a song that feels like years in the making, considering it has been a phrase Styles and his fans have claimed for the past few years. Although it is clear that Styles’s intention with the song was to spread a positive message which focuses on being kind and not taking life too seriously (though he proclaims that “if our friends all pass away / it’s okay,” and…I don’t know, is it really okay, Harry?!?) it feels like he could have done more with it. One particularly good line is towards the end of the track when he sings, “all we ever want is automatic all the time,” and perhaps he could’ve taken his own advice and given a song with such a grand title a bit more effort.

BEST PROSPECTIVE SINGLE: “Falling”

A close second to “Fine Line,” “Falling” is one of the strongest in Styles’s solo discography and more impressive considering he wrote it in about twenty minutes in a towel. In this beautiful ballad, Styles opens his heart, grabbing the listener’s in the process. “What am I now? / What if I’m someone I don’t want around?” he sings in a panic. This moment of self-reflection after the end of a relationship truly settles in as reality and you can no longer look away from your mistakes is painfully relatable. This track is the most honest of the bunch, and thus feels necessary. With all the previously mentioned pop jams already aptly released as singles, “Falling” feels like the wisest choice going forward to keep the momentum; listeners love a man openly grieving a heartbreak and taking responsibility for his actions (even cheating, I suppose, as is mildly implied in the first verse…I mean, this is your mans? Good thing his regret sounds sincere at least), and the unbelievable tone of his voice when he belts the last word of the bridge, “and I get the feeling that you’ll never need me again” is just the icing on the cake.

                                                                   ***

It is always a difficult task for a former group member to come into their own as a solo artist, and very few have done so with the admiration and reverence that Styles has accrued thus far. With his self-titled debut solo record in 2017, Styles made it clear, as most group-departing members do, that he had a sound different from that of his claim to fame in One Direction. His seriousness as a musician was now established through the positive reception of his debut, and thus his success allowed him to have a little more fun on Fine Line. It also allowed him to get a little more candid and authentic, knowing that the world has accepted him with open arms and has been begging for more. Styles mostly delivers with Fine Line, but in some ways it feels unfinished. The musical production is intriguing and exciting, and by far the best thing about this album, but is still somewhere between a regeneration of classic inspirations and a sound unique to Styles himself; all he needs is a little more time to find his own signature style (no pun intended) rather than just creating a conglomerate of musical elements from his influences and signing his name. But in the meantime, the music still holds up. The real conundrum is the lyrics, which are well and fine, but do not effectively communicate the truth hiding behind the sentiments yet give you just enough to let him get away with it. If he had given us just a bit more, Fine Line could have been a true triumph. However, this is only his second album, and being a confessional songwriting superstar while still preserving your right to privacy is, well, a fine line to walk (I had to, I’m sorry!), but I’m sure he’ll find his balance in no time. Grade: 3.5/5

DISCLAIMER – REVIEWER’S BIAS: I was a very casual One Direction fan during their peak of fame. I think Midnight Memories is a great pop album and I stand by that. I’ve always been more of a Niall girl, but I have never been able to completely resist Harry’s charisma; I’m only human. I listened to his debut album in 2017 maybe twice, three times at most, and just thought it was fine, but not particularly impressive. But since then it’s been impossible to deny his talent and star power. I was very intrigued by “Lights Up,” and with every single release I had found myself enjoying the songs more than I wanted to admit. I think Fine Line is a really great album. Sonically, it is in my exact sweet spot of the kind of music I absolutely love, so I was doomed to like it from the start. What stopped me from giving it a grade of 4 or higher though was that even with multiple listens I struggle to understand what the hell this guy is trying to say in his music. Many times, it takes me reading what die-hard stans say to understand what message he’s trying to send. Unfortunately, that is a failure to me. I know plenty of people love cryptic and ambiguous lyrics or poetry, but as a consumer, I want to be able to understand the story or the message with at least a couple of listens. Of course, lyrics can and should be left up to interpretation, but sometimes I don’t even know what he wants me to interpret! From my perception, this is just a reflection of Harry holding back from truly saying what he wants (with few exceptions, such as “Falling”). I think he is so talented and has so much potential but just needs a little more time unlocking it. I’m excited to see what he does in the future.

[cecilspeaks]

158 - The Battle for Time

Kasper Rhodes: 

The future wants you. The future needs you. The future will have you, whether you want to or not. Welcome to Night Vale.

Kasper Rhodes here, hello. There’s a lot of talk generally and in particular about the future. Everyone’s going on about this or that, rocketships and spires, eternal life and AI, but the future is also soil and leaves. It’s a hand holding a hand, it’s clouds and it’s water and it’s salt. The future is organic as anything. There is still sweat in the future, [chuckles] I’m sweating right now! It’s hot where I am. And I am Kasper Rhodes, president of the Quality Cyborg Corporation, and I can take you away from all this, in the name of the Smiling God. The God that grins down at us all, grinning through our pain and grinning through our joy, just always grinning, just always the smile.

Do any of you believe in anything? I do. I believe in anything at all, I just believe. What a powerful thing it is to believe, to let doubt (--) [0:02:27] off you, [chuckles] just like the sweat.

I have a proposition and it’s also a promise. I will take your brain, and how much were you using it anyway, and I will put it in a robot. And that robot will do wonderful things. That is my promise. And it’s also a proposition. [chuckles] Anyway, we’ll talk more in person, I’m on my way. I’ll see you soon.

[whoosh]

Cecil: (-) am I through? Am I, am I on the air? Am I on the air? I come to you in a time of emergency and panic. We thought we could cheat death. Kasper Rhodes promised to take our brains and freeze them into the future where we could be reawakened into life eternal. But it was all a lie. Kasper is a time traveler here to collect the brains of the past, to power robots of servitude in the future. We were being tricked into an eternal life of manual labor, and now we know the truth and stand against them.

Unfortunately, he has called in reinforcements from the future, and they are those very robots with our brains inside of them. They cannot fight against their programming, and they weep as they crush us, but still they crush us. There are robots patrolling outside of the abandoned grain silo and every other spot in town where the Quality Cryogenics Corporation is storing brains, so we cannot save our fellow citizens from the terror of the future.

(-) [0:04:01]. Kasper worships a Smiling God. I thought we had escaped that cosmic terror but it has returned, and it has come for our minds. Night Vale, I call for resistance. I call for a stand against the future. I muster the present to destroy every moment that comes after. We will never stop fighting, we will never surrender.

Oh, um, ahem, but first. Tickets are going on sale for the Lions Club charity raffle. All proceeds from the raffle will be going of weapons and barricades to be used against the endless onslaught of the future robots piloted by our own brains. So that’s just a great cause. Let’s have a look at the prizes. There’s a package tour to somewhere called Nash-vile. That’s exciting. Uh, the package includes a map showing where Nash-vile is, and a pad of paper on which is scrolled: “You should probably get a hotel room when you get there.” Everything you need for a fun vacation. There are ten free piano lessons from Louie Blasko. He says that piano is a great way to exercise your mind and your creativity, and he promises much fewer injuries this time around. There’s a free haircut and style consultation from Telly the Barber. Uuuuuuuuuugh! Ugh, that vile Telly! Meh, I shouldn’t say that. Carlos has forgiven Telly for cutting his – beautiful hair all those years ago, and so I should too. There are lots of things I should do, and I’m sure I’ll get to them eventually. In the meantime, though: ugh! Vile Telly! Finally, there is the grand prize, which is an all expenses paid trip into the bottomless hole betwixt the dunes, that inexplicable dark pit that appeared a few years ago out in the Sand Wastes. We’re not sure who donated this prize, it just showed up at the Lions Club in a basket that smelled of mud and wet dog. But the winners will have the opportunity, in fact they will be compelled whether they want to or not, to leap into the bottomless hole betwixt the dunes. This is all expenses paid. I’m not sure what expenses there are to jumping into a bottomless hole but in any case, they’re covered. Raffle tickets are only 5 dollars and can be purchased at the Lions Club or by whispering into any crack in any wall. And again, proceeds go to saving us from the robot army, so please do buy a few.

[whoosh]

Kasper Rhodes: There’s a lot of talk generally an in particular about pain. “Oh, I’m in pain,” many say, “Oh, this pain is the worst I’ve ever felt,” many say. Many just scream and that’s understandable, I’d scream too if I could, but you can’t scream with a smile. That’s one of the laws of the Smiling God. I believe in laws. But then, I believe in anything.

Have you ever had rock candy? Who even thought up something so useless as these crystalline sugar lumps? What point is there to any of this, when rock candy is the kind of thing that we as humans apparently are up to? Generally, also in particular. But what I’m talking about is, what point is there to rock candy? And what I’m also asking is, what point is there to you? But I can provide a point, at you anyway. Wouldn’t that be nice for once? And don’t we want it to be nice for once, just once before we go? I’m talking here about purpose, and I have more purpose than I need. You have less purpose than you want. Let’s meet in the middle, and there in the middle, I will take your brain. Believe in the Smiling God and why not? I do.

[whoosh, high-pitched noises]

Cecil: [distorted] Night Vale, we will fight! [normal] Night Vale, we will win! The night may be long, but inevitably comes the dawn. Especially now that time works correctly here. Tamika Flynn has gathered her militia, who have aged to the point where they are no longer teenagers. It was kind of cute, a local friendly teenage militia, but now they’re just a militia, which is less cute. But definitely good to have on our side in this struggle. They are currently pelting the robots with stones but – ah, the robots’ metal frames are impervious to such attacks. Oh, this is so worrying! Josh Crayton, local shapeshifter, has resumed the form of a waterfall in an attempt to short out the electronics of the robot army. Unfortunately it appears that their bodies are water resistant and perhaps even waterproof, and so they are simply walking past him like he isn’t there. Josh, maybe some other form? Oh, OK, OK, Josh has panicked and accidentally taken the form of a 1970’s style avocado green galley kitchen. Oh, Josh, this will not be helpful at all.

“We’re going about this fight all wrong!” said Lenny Butler, who has no official bona fides on military tactics, but considered himself an aficionado of rowdy boys really taking it to each other on the battlefield. Lenny continued: “What we want to do is fight them!” When asked what that meant, he shrugged and (-) [0:09:47] irritably. “I know what it means!” he said. “I’m not gonna waste time explaining it to you, just like, flank them!”

Other towns have been forced to join the fight, as the robots are sweeping through the entire area. The ghosts of Pine Cliff have enthusiastically entered the fray. Unfortunately, of course, ghosts cannot physically affect our world, and so they are just hovering back and forth through the robots. But good hussle out there!

Citizens of the Whispering Forest muttered warm compliments to the robots in an attempt to simulate them into their tree forms, but robots are immune to compliments, as they’re only able to think as highly of themselves as they are programmed to do. Oh no, nothing is working! Ugh. Well, this seems like as good a time as any to talk about survival tips. The first thing to consider is your water source. Now, your body is 60 per cent water, so that seems like enough, let’s move on. Next, you will want to consider food. Stuck up on essentials like canned peas, easily stored grains, and those little bags of baby carrots which are just big carrots carved into small spaces and called babies. Which his not how babies are made. This is not what the word “baby” means. Anyway, if you find yourself in an emergency situation without enough food, consider expanding your definition of the word “food”. For instance, theoretically, you could eat a desk if you tried hard enough. Maybe the problem isn’t a lack of food, but  lack of motivation on your part. Finally ,look for shelter. This one is easy, there are houses and buildings everywhere and you can just go into them. Some of them will be locked, they might even have people inside who say things like: “What are you doing in my house?” and: “You can’t be in here, this is the stock room of an Arby’s!” But don’t let naysayers like that get you down. This has been, survival tips.

[whoosh]

Kasper: There is a lot of talk generally and in particular about triumph. “We are winning,” a person might say. “We will defeat you,” a person might crow as the town falls in supplication around him. “You will all be taken to the future!” that person might continue. “You will be made useful.” And isn’t that wonderful? To be made useful? Isn’t that the best thing a person can be? I think so. It doesn’t matter what you think, [chuckles] it turns out you never did. It’s so impersonal chatting over the phone, es-especially since you haven’t been picking up. It seems rude, your refusal to listen to me, but-but I don’t mind. After all, it’s hard to begrudge you your last minutes of human freedom. Tell you what, tell you what, I’ll head over and collect you myself. Wouldn’t that be nice? For me, I mean, again it doesn’t matter what it is for you, it turns out it never did. OK, [distorted] see you soon, bye bye!

[whoosh]

Cecil: Give me back my radio frequency! Oh, I… Am I, I think I’m back on. Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Well, I’ll talk whether you can hear me or not. More robots are pouring out of the time vortexes. The vorteces, vortes.. vorces.. vort-vortex-eses. Whatever they are. Thousands of robots are coming out and this is too much, we can never defeat all of them! The robots are marching to Kasper Rhodes’ army that was already here and they are… Listeners, they are fighting them. These new robots are fighting on our side. At their head is the one I recognize as containing the brain of Charlie Bair, the dayshift manager at the Ralphs, and he’s [huffing] he is announcing that some of the robots have broken free of their programming, that they have found a way to manipulate the metal body they were trapped in, and they have come back to help us prevent this all from happening. And the present day human Charlie Bair is running up to join his future metal counterpart. Night Vale, out on that battlefield is a robot which contains your brain! Find that robot and help it fight, or fight it, depending o n which side it’s on. Together, with ourselves, we can win this. There is still hope. There is always hope. There is also always The weather.

[“Sugar Neighbors” by Dane Terry https://www.thedaneterry.com]

Together, us and us, our own selves and our robot selves, we rushed against Kasper Rhodes, more and more of his robots broke free of their programming and joined us. Tamika and her militia were now Tamikas and their militias, and the intimidation factor was through the roof. This whole time, we just had to trust ourselves. [chuckles] And also have versions of ourselves that were embedded in super strong metal bodies. That was all it took this whole time to be victorious. Charlie Bair the human stood shoulder to shoulder with Charlie Bair the robot, and both fought valiantly. Josh Crayton took the form of a chainsaw, which was then wielded by Josh Crayton’s brain in a robot body to glorious and gory effect. It did not take long for the tides to turn. Sometimes, once the balance shifts, it shifts as quickly and definitively as a broken elevator plunging down a shaft. And then, Kasper Rhodes himself finally fell. Whether it was the stones cast by the Tamikas, or the fists of the Charlies, or Josh the chainsaw wielded by Josh the robot, I cannot say. In the chaos of battle, individual human action becomes indistinct, but the fact of Kasper’s death is indisputable. And in that moment he fell, every robot slumped into stillness, because time had changed. Kasper never took our brains when we died and used them in robots of the future, and because of that, every one of those robots no longer had a brain in them. They were empty shells. We carried those empty shelves with affection and care to Grove Park, where they would be sorted for parts and the resulting scrap metal used to fix the massive amount of damage done to town by this battle.

We kept one robot, though, just one. The scrawniest one with the most rusted joints and Pamela Winchell, who has been reading books on hobbyist surgery, removed Kasper’s brain from his still warm body and placed it in that robot, and the robot came to life in a panic. “Don’t worry,” we told Kasper the robot, “we’re not going to hurt you! We’re just putting you to work for the Miriam McDonald memorial fund. You will clean up the sand from the Sand Wastes until all the sand is gone. We don’t know how long that will take, it may take forever. Good luck!” And even now, a lone robot with a broom sweeps sand out of the desert. Hm. A fitting end for an unfit man.

[sighs in relief] Now there is only us, and the returned reality of our aging. And our death. I have come to think that Carlos was right. There is nothing more scientific than death. We fear it, reasonably, because it is a thing we can never know, perhaps not even when we experience it. But it is not worth perverting our lives, changing everything about ourselves just to avoid our natural ends. New generations will come. New people will live. And like everyone before us, we will gracefully exit to make room for those coming after. As the old saying goes: “Death is only the end if you assume the story is about you.” [laughs] This is not a story about you! And you were glad, because it would be boring if every story was.

Good night, Night Vale, Good night.

Today’s proverb: Every friend group has a joyful chasm. If you do not know who the joyful chasm is, then I have news for you: you are the joyful chasm.

[post credits segment]

Kasper: There’s a lot of talk generally and in particular. So many words. Oh man. Oooh maannn. Ugh, oh! [chuckles] This is not how. It isn’t. Was it? But it’s what’s left of me. Oh, it’s quiet in here at least. I can’t feel the smile anymore. (--) [0:25:49] that smile. In here, it is quiet and dark. My metal body moves, but my brain is still. I like it in here. [shivers] Nooo-oooo! That smile!  The- the smile has appeared. Oh, oh God, y- you don’t understand! The smile is in here with me. [distorted noise, discordant music rises, then fades out]

[seenashwrite]

Walkthrough for “There But For The Grace”.

If interested - Go read it first before continuing on. This is about the plot point stuff (i/e - hints for the end, amongst other things) and the theological drops I sprinkled throughout.

I genuinely did not intend for this to cause brain freeze. Hoo-boy. Many sorry. There’s about a 40/60 split at this point of the “got its” vs. “didn’t quite got its”, so that’s on me. Not that it was incredibly necessary to catch the loop-di-loop in order to like it, though you might like it more once you know.

So I'll walk you through my thought process in the least disjointed manner I can manage. Which... hoo-boy, part deux. Tagging folks who commented on the story/to me directly, certainly no expectation on my part for you to read and/or reply. Seriously. Legit. Etc. And stuff.

This took longer to write than the story. #no lie

Okay, lotsa screencaps, so I don’t (a) end up c-p’ing the whole damn thing, and more the reason (b) so can underline. 

And for ALL our brains’ sakes, I’ll call our dude Michael, and other world’s dude Mike from here on.  Plotting stuff in red, theological stuff in blue, randoms (Nash Be Nashin’ and SPN canon stuff) in green.

The title is from that proverb “There but for the grace of God go I”, and as ye olde wiki explains....

....and then, there’s this:

Hopefully you picked up on something being “off” with how I was writing ol��� Mike as the story went on. I got slightly tricksy in some places on purpose regarding characterization, but hey - Mike and Michael are essentially the same angel in concept, just on different planes, right? And stuff apparently took a left turn when the apocalypse went through over yonder. So while they didn’t really re-tell the history of Apocaland beat-by-beat (thank Chuck), the inference I got is that the basic shit went down - he boots Luci after he rebels, etc. Blah blah blah, y’all know this.

Quote from Michael:

So maybe Mike came at it from the same angle when he killed his Luci. Who knows. Though I will say - if it was some sort of duty for him and not pleasure, I wouldn’t think there’d be boasting about pulling Luci apart, nor would the knee-jerk be to string him up and torture him, at least, if he’d suddenly re-appeared before me one day. YMMV.

This is good summary from the wiki, whoever wrote it did a bang up job:

Michael is meticulous. He slow-plays things. It’s not about being power-hungry; he had power. He was essentially God. For him, this is tied up in honor and loyalty and righting wrongs and all that jazz.

Again - that hesitation. He never stopped loving Lucifer - and Lucifer never stopped loving any of them, we see this big time in the Elysium ep when he “killed” Gabriel. Much internal conflict with these folks. And then there’s Mike, who iced (our) Gabriel and tortured (our) Lucifer in the blink of an eye. 

There’s my characterization base of operations.

---> Could be interpreted as Michael or Mike - applies to both. Mike would find pleasure in taking inventory of what he planned to rule, how we aren’t worthy of anything but being subjects; Michael is perhaps glad to see plenty of justifications for what he feels he’s still destined to do.

---> “Learned” for Mike = the observing we saw in the finale, comparing-and-contrasting to his world; “learned” for Michael could be (a) via Dean’s mind, and / or (b) what he could’ve seen from Mike’s mind when he whooped his ass, a.k.a. Nash’s Sneaky Twisty Thing, re: Michael is now in Dean’s body. 

So, how is that, Nash? you may ask.

Dunno.

Perhaps the distraction of Mike getting wailed on by Michael allowed Dean the opportunity to eject him, maybe Dean’s been wearing Mike down mentally. And though Dean/Sam - being the ideal hosts - have greater tolerance than us regulars, it’s gonna leave them weakened, it’s just got to. Hell, just being possessed by fill-in-the-blank leaves ya with the weeble-wobbles for a bit. Primo chance for Michael to set up shop in Dean.

Then, Nash, since angels need permission, how’d Michael do that? you may ask.

Occam’s razor --> Dean gave Michael “the soul”/”the entity”/whatever permission, and that goes across the realm, alt timelines/dimensions/whatnots. Or, maybe Dean chose the lesser of the two evils, so to speak - he’s boned at this interval anyhow, so if the opportunity arose, if it’s me, I’m choosing the frying pan over the fire - at least I’ve bought myself (and my loved ones, and the world) some time. Either of those work for what I intimated in the story.

Bottom line: however it went down, that’s for your imagination to choose.

A point that’s called back to later, as well as Nash Be Nashin’, RE: I’ve no idea why they opted to dress him in that style. There’s other stylings that are stark contrasts to Dean’s without going full-court-press cosplay, but whatevs. In any event, assuming my premise is taken - that the worlds played out the same for the most part and the ‘20s were a fave and would explain the wardrobe - this can apply to both Mike and Michael.

For those of you fortunate enough to have missed slogging through Sunday school, allow me: S&G was apparently a hotbed of sin, and they were gonna get the fire-and-brimstone treatment. Abraham asked angels who visited him if they’d spare the righteous, because there was at least one group there who was: his nephew Lot’s family. Two more angels were sent to investigate, Lot was awesome to them, welcomed them in without knowing they were angels, etc. So when time came to fire things up, the angels fessed up about who they were and why they were there, and told them (Lot and his crew) that they needed to just leave and not look back. And whoopsie, Lot’s wife found out that wasn’t metaphorical, as when she turned to get one last look at her home going up in flames, wha-BAM! She got turned into a pillar of salt.

So here might be the first subconscious “Hmmm” from your mind - that doesn’t really sync up with what we know of Mike. I don’t think he gives a shit about how much he sins to get what he wants. I bet he can’t even spell benevolence. Read this in Michael’s voice, though, and I hear that whole justifying thing again, the “don’t really want to, but got to” mindset.

See above, RE: “...but I labored more abundantly than them all”. Plus, speaks to arrogance, applicable to both Michael and Mike.

---> “The” earth, eh? ;) 

---> Theology-wise, Michael’s only named a couple times, if memory serves... actually most of them are name dropped just a handful of times... did they namedrop Gabe as the one who told Mary she was preggers? I’m not looking it up.

Anyway, theologians have assigned certain “messages” delivered and punishments as being enacted by specific angels, I won’t go down that road here, I’ve no clue how they managed to arrive at those conclusions. Point is that Michael was a guardian, of heaven and of certain places/people on earth, depending on where God assigned. I wanna say Daniel and the lion’s den was one of them. Not looking that up, either.

---> "Temporarily”, hmmm.... that other world looked plenty definitively apoca-sized to me. In any event, floods is a ref to the Noah story, and if memory serves, Michael is thought by some to have been the “angel of death” that struck down the firstborn sons during the plagues of Egypt.

Also also - I’d speculate he’s taken on some self-imposed blame for Lucifer sneaking into the garden and tempting Adam & Eve, as he is so convicted in SPN land about righting the wrongs Lucifer brought upon the world, and that’s the event that kicked shit off. 

---> O.T. (old testament) God took no shit, got smitey on a dime. New Testament God (a.k.a. - post-Jesus time) flipped a switch to a more fatherly figure. 

---> The absence thing is SPN canon.

---> The differing legends is me thumbing my nose at their neglect of both their own canon and theology. #dammit Dabb

---> So, again, choose your poison - Luci getting into the garden, then Michael having to wage battle in heaven to boot him (and, let’s be real, he likely had followers that got nailed, too), etc. etc. etc.

---> The plans refer to the stuff up there from the wiki - that was an intricate damn plan. Deceptive, sure, but again that whole “bigger picture” mentality. 

---> RE: beloved - yeah, that’s not sounding like the Mike we’ve been presented with.

Now that’s a pretty detailed thing to know about a random coffee joint in a random town in a random state in a strange world, wouldn’t you say? ;)

---> Trinities, trifectas, triples - threes are trendy numbers in stories and legends and oral tradition, so it comes up here multiple times, as well. And he’s talking about Jesus, of course, and the green Nashy line is me thinking “Wonder what he thought about Amara?” 

(’Cause I’m of the thought that Amara + Chuck = God, yin-yang and all, but from the very black-and-white Michael’s perspective, I could see him playing nice but not buying into it, and I mean, he was part of the crew that banished her on Chuck’s orders, so there you go. He may not have even been privy to the scoop that they were the corporeal forms of light/dark, maybe just of the understanding that she was his meddling aunt, and of course he was gonna do whatever his dad told him to do. Anyhow, I think that adds additional texture to why it frustrates him so much that Luci couldn’t fall in line, why Luci always had to ask questions. ---> and that’s just me, there’s no way y’all could’ve inferred it from just that, you’re not psychic, I’m just sharing. I digress. I’m good for some heavy digressin’.)

There is a specific things-come-in-threes story that’s my baseline, but I’ll tell you further down after #3 hits.

On we go...

The chick we come to know as Grace does not catch his eye because she is pretty or sweet or in need of assistance or pouty or flirty or super-smart, or even beautiful or too shy and bookish, but if she’d just take off those damn glasses and let her hair out of that ponytail she might be, whatever trope you wanna throw on her - she’s a sinner, another hopeless sinner in a long line of humans who were/are fucking this joint up.

---> There’s several feet-washing stories in the Bible. I hate feet. That’s not in the Bible, and has no bearing here. Add it to your Nash factoids. Moving on. 

The one I had in mind is below, and Imma c/p the pertinent parts because lazy. Bolding is mine, natch. In Luke 7....

36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, so Jesus went into the Pharisee’s house and sat at the table. 37 A sinful woman in the town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she brought an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and stood behind Jesus at his feet, crying. She began to wash his feet with her tears, and she dried them with her hair, kissing them many times and rubbing them with the perfume. 39 When the Pharisee who asked Jesus to come to his house saw this, he thought to himself, “If Jesus were a prophet, he would know that the woman touching him is a sinner!”

40 Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

Simon said, “Teacher, tell me.”

[parable]

44 Then Jesus turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss of greeting, but she has been kissing my feet since I came in. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she poured perfume on my feet. 47 I tell you that her many sins are forgiven, so she showed great love. But the person who is forgiven only a little will love only a little.”

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” [...] “Because you believed, you are saved from your sins. Go in peace.”

The other 4 gospels - Matthew, Mark & John - tell a similar story. (But in John’s the woman isn’t a random - it’s one of the sisters of Lazarus, the guy Jesus raised from the dead. #cool trivia digression)

 --> “Hot as hell” and “thank God” is just Nash Be Nashin’.

--> Start of the main trinity (1A)

--> Again, he’s not digging on her because she’s so awesomesauce in some typical way; she’s a dichotomy to him, sin with sweet. He’s a black-and-white kind of guy (and pretty much every angel we’ve met). It’s interesting to him, that seeming heel-turn. We’ll call back to those verses above here in a bit, with respect to how he feels about her as he spends more time with her.

Quickie trinity.

Nash Be Nashin’.

Recurring theme, forgiveness; also - that sound like Mike to you? At least, at this point? Eh. Maybe. If he’s trying to manipulate. But on the other hand - if this were Mike - has she got something he wants/needs? Manipulate Dean, sure; manipulate rando server chick? Possible. But nah. 

---> Would Mike ask that? Why would he care? But Michael might, trying to get a bead on this human. ‘Cause remember, this is an angel who has had sparing contact with humans since he’s been in charge, he’s been dispatching angels for the heavy lifting, he’s not been boots on the ground takin’ care of business for quite awhile. His only in-depth contact has been the Winchesters, and that was only when he had to step in.

---> Also, close siblings recurring theme (close because able to joke around as well as later, when she mentions he’d vent to her about his time in war but not to the same degree as he did the rest of their family)

---> the main trinity of this story, part deux (and don’t get ahead of me; fine, I’ll do it for you: no, Michael having the nickname I mention later isn’t Biblical)

---> Lucifer was called The Morning Star (see also dictionary, re: “luciferous”)

---> Now that would be a really pretty damn specific thing for Mike to know. 

---> The keep an eye out - again, reinforcing the theme that Michael whiffed not seeing the Lucifer thing coming; also lawbreakers looking out for the authorities, a contrast with an authority - God/Michael/et al - looking out for wrongdoers. 

---> Park with a sandbox, Nash Be Nashin’

---> Bit tricksy; could go to Mike coming from his world to here, could be Michael feeling like this is a world he doesn’t know anymore after all his time in the cage; regardless, sets a tone of “She gets me”

Whether you cotton to my assertion that Michael may feel guilt for not seeing the Lucifer stuff coming and preventing his initial ingress (Eden), it’s theology 101 that Lucifer brought all things evil and sin and demon and hell and blah blah blah to humankind. And Michael beat him in heaven, but it’s been less offense and more defense ever since; reacting to Luci vs. bringing the game to him. Which is what Michael was finally doing, when the Winchesters didn’t agree to be vessels and let it play out like he’d planned.

So, Saint Michael on the theology end, ruling heaven in Chuck’s absence on the SPN canon end, and Michael’s arrogant, to be sure. He assumed his plan would go off without a hitch, and maybe if it’d been the Hardy Boys instead of the Winchesters, it would’ve [shrugs]

---> Nash Be Nashin’ - trying to poke your subconscious to think about that shot of them falling into the hole, to the cage

---> Could we describe Mike as “broken”? I couldn’t. More to the point, does he behave as if he might consider himself “broken”? Hmmm.

---> I guess that last bit could go either way; for me, I’m thinking of how Lucifer must’ve behaved in the cage, which we got a taste of via Sam’s hallucinations, and perhaps it being too quiet once he was gone. Sometimes being left alone with your thoughts is a bad time.

Again, canon - Lucifer never met a quiet moment he didn’t wanna fill.

So this is just me doing a second sin in the sin trilogy for Michael, as well as adding another piece of common ground between him and Grace with the nickname thing. The only Biblical truth there is the whole “Mark of the Beast” thing. Next time you get drunk or lit on whatever, read you some Revelations, it’ll either knock you out the rest of the way or give you fantastic nightmares.

What I just said, RE: second part of the Michael Lies Super Easy When It Comes To This Chick trilogy. I mean, not really - it’s coming from a good place, he doesn’t want to scare her, and if he told her the truth, where would he even start? Especially with her not being religious. He’s so far behind the eight ball, he’s under the pool table.

---> So here’s the trinity tale that’s the base for why I put this in the story. It’s in all four gospels (Matthew/Mark/Luke/John), and it’s about how at the Last Supper (which happens right before the crucifixion of Jesus goes down), they’re talking about how one of them would betray Jesus (re: Judas), and an apostle named Peter speaks up.

(Oh! Speaking of, there’s another triple play for ya - Jesus ends up on a cross between two criminals. Okay, back to the passages)

Matthew:

Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”

Mark:

Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.”

But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”

Luke:

But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

John:

Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

---> Grace be shinin’, Nash Be Nashin’

---> What made him kiss her / risk the “sin”? She walked with him. (”Lord I am ready to go with you...”). She listened. She comforted him. She forgave him when he asked for it (re: for scaring her). She believed he wasn’t a horrible “person”. Prompted him to consider there might be a place/time where he wasn’t (see below, RE: “perhaps”). 

A la.... 

But the person who is forgiven only a little will love only a little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” [...] “Because you believed, you are saved from your sins. Go in peace.”

---> You may’ve noticed I didn’t call him Michael until Dean was gone during the kiss - that was on purpose. Because that was him making that decision, no (potential) Dean influence on board. And I didn’t have him call Dean by his name, being very distant throughout, until they talked about brothers, their common ground. He’s finding common ground with humans - a new kind of hallowed ground - versus being solely their guardian or their punisher, depending. This is (likely, hopefully) a good thing.

---> RE: sin - see below

---> This is your call to make - was it actually apple-flavored lip balm? Or was it strawberry/random fruity-flavored lip balm like Dean thought, and it just tasted like apples to Michael?

In any event, RE: “tasted like sin” - apples have been commonly used in art/stories as representing the fruit Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil back in the garden, a.k.a. - the original sin

HOME STRETCH!

[Full disclosure: based on early feedback, from here on out - if you were an early reader - you may notice there’s been a few tweaked lines since original publish, so I may be about to clarify things that are now - with the tweaks - obvious to you. I’m just sayin’.]

By this point, I’d hope you’d been kinda thinking, “I appreciate Nash’s effort to make Mike be not a complete asshole, but holy moly I have been suspending my disbelief like a mo-fo as this went on, why does he give a shit about this chick or about chatting with Dean all friendly, etc.”

---> That “Why didn’t we....” part should scream “THIS ISN’T MIKE”. I hope.

---> It’s been about 10 yrs. since Stull / when Michael took the dive

---> “Is there...” / “Perhaps” -- and maybe it’s this one. Maybe it’s the world he’s always known, but not been part of; remains to be seen. He’s a different dude. This ain’t the same angel that went into that cage. Like Chuck said - he’s a mess. Or maybe, now, could we say... was a mess? Hmmm. Different, though. Definitely different. Not terribly un-canon, not a huge jump to make, in my mind. 

And, you know, The Cage was Luci’s big punishment, right? And he’s fine. Anytime we saw him, in the caboose version or just-been-sprung, he’s been same-ol’, same-ol’. So maybe it’s simply an isolation room, and it’s only been BAD-bad for Sam and Adam and Michael, because Luci was there messing with them, because he’s bored off his ass. That’s why I posit The Cage may not be anything beyond blank space, as it were, if Luci’s not present. 

What Mike would “likely” bring? Nah. Mike’s on the express train to domination. He’s not messing around.

Nash Be Nashin’. I am, on occasion, poetic. “His” is a callback to “my Michael”, and the “g” in “grace” is lower case on purpose. [clears throat, c/ps from up yonder....]

Grace don’t come in just one form, yo. There’s lots floating out there. Just gotta pay attention. Know what to watch for.

And here’s the hammer:

Hmmmm....

---> Dean knows Mike’s been thinking of it; to quote Black Widow, that’s not a question that needs answering.

---> “Still”? “Do-over?” - Mike’s had his apocalypse. Do-over of what? That implies Mike’s tried to pull off Apocaworld, Part Deux here, and... he hasn’t tried at this point. He’d said they were already looking into what all other worlds they could get to before Jack’s birth caused our rift and they saw an opportunity for a better way, but Mike’s not taken a run at our world; Michael has. (Bit of a misleading, open-to-interpretation / could apply to Mike line, though, I grant you.)

---> “over there” - already mentioned “head to the cage”, ergo “there” is “cage”

---> “act” / “figure it out” - thaaaat’s nooot Miiiike, your subconscious sings!

---> Say I’m Mike. 

I’m a tactical mofo. I know how to spot an enemy, it’s why I was gonna take out Jack emotionally if I couldn’t cripple him or kill him. I hit this new world. I’m inside a very handsome I MEAN powerful bod. I am locked and loaded. What’s first on the agenda now that I’ve got the ammo?

I take out potential threats. Dean’s an obstacle, true, but he’ll be tucked away going night-night for at least a bit, and I can likely wash-rinse-repeat as needed. Obstacle, though - he’s not an inherent threat to me. Lucifer’s out of the way. Raphael’s out of the way. Gabriel’s out of the way.

Oh. Oh noooes, FML: I’m not out of the way. 

And holy shit - the holiest of all the shits - I could take myself out. Isn’t he in the Fort Knox of binding-thingy-traps-whatever?

But wait. Waaaaait, wait - that cage must be made of aluminum foil, I can see Dean’s memories. Some tacky decoder rings opened it up, his brother Sam got pulled from it, then the angel of death got Sam’s soul out of it, rando witch called up the caboose of it like it was Uber, Lucifer popped Dean and his crew in-and-out of it, and didn’t that demon Crowley use parts of it for some ill-explained ingredient to hold Lucifer hostage like it was melty MacGuffin cheese? Is there not a doorman or something?! Can they get pizza delivered down there, too, I mean TF?

Ooooh, now this is interesting. Chuckie told Dean Michael’s beyond his repair. Lucifer said Michael’s a mess... well. Consider that source. But still. Risk not too high, reward could be very high.

Yeah. I’m totes arrogant enough. This is gonna be a cake-walk.

---> Except... time moves differently in the cage, we know that. So Lucifer’s been gone for... hell, who knows how long. What state Michael might be in now is a mystery. He’s had time to regroup, at the very least, without his chief antagonist lording over him. So is it implausible that Michael could be the key to nailing Mike’s ass to the wall? Might it even be probable? 

The board of directors at NashHole, Inc. voted “Yeeeeessss”.

Again, bro-love, evergreen recurring theme. So, here it is:

If I’m Michael, my perspective would be that Mike can handle his world how he pleases, and he did. But now he’s on my turf. I’m taking great umbrage with this power-hungry twin of mine coming over here and having the audacity to make decisions, take over my destiny, etc.

And then another part of it - Michael’s not only had a lot of time in the cage to get his mojo back, he’s also had time to process the whole situation, what led him to this place, the part he played. I’d imagine a part of him is still gripping onto his convictions, while on the other hand starting to realize that there are parts of this world - and people in this world - that already make it a paradise despite all that Lucifer/demons/the supernaturals have done. 

Maybe an apocalypse isn’t the answer. Maybe Lucifer doesn’t have to die. Bottom line, that ain’t Mike’s call to make; it’s Michael’s.

Last thing!

Handful of you asked about how Mike would’ve opened the cage, how a fight would’ve gone down if Michael’s still in Adam, what about Adam, and my answer is - does it matter? I know, I know, that sounds snotty; it matters in the sense that you asked, so it matters to you. Where I’m coming from is that this isn’t what the story is about, not for me. But hey - you fill in those blanks however your heart desires, truly. Or pretend that twist at the end never happened, and think of this as Mike the whole way through. :) 

.....

.....

.....

That cage is made of chewed gum and pipe cleaners, a hamster could get in there, I’m done, I’m DONE, okay bye.

@ellen-reincarnated1967  @waywardjoy  @copperseraphim @bumbleball13  @inlovewith2dcharacters  @impandagrl  @theoriginalvicki  @mrswhozeewhatsis  @littlegreenplasticsoldier  @butiaintgonnaloveem  @salt-n-burn-em-all  @sixtysevenandwhiskey  @anticipate1003  @juppschmitz  @smi727  @casismybae  @jalove-wecallhimdean  @salvachester  

[fullmetalirin]

Fullmetal Alchemist OG: Episodes 11-12

A filler two-parter. Hooray?

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 11: "The Other Brothers Elric: Part 1"

The Elrics arrive in Xenotime to look for the philosopher's stone. After they save a young girl, named Elisa, from under a fallen mine cart, she brings them to the tavern out of gratitude. During the feast in their honor, the brothers hear that a philosopher's stone is near completion, researched by a man named Mugear. When the town learns they're the Elric brothers, they get upset, claiming they're frauds. That's when Ed learns there are impostors in town pretending to be Ed and Al. They sneak into Mugear's mansion and find the imposters but are fended off by the older brother impostor. Elisa's uncle, Belsio, takes in Ed and Al, then later sends Al to get some medicine for Elisa. That's where Al meets his imposter counterpart. The younger brother impostor apologizes for taking the Elrics' names and Al urges him to tell his older brother to stop. Meanwhile, Mugear meets underground with Lust, who is apparently behind the plan to make the Philosophers Stone. The following night, Ed and Al sneak into the mansion a second time via underground tunnels but get exposed to toxic, red water. The younger brother impostor helps them get to safety but the older brother impostor wants to continue his father's unfinished work even though the byproducts is making the town sick. Al reveals that the red stone they've made is a poor copy of the Philosopher Stone and the older brother impostor (an alchemist named Russell Tringham) attacks Ed using crimson water. However, the younger impostor (Russell's younger brother Fletcher) dives in the way and gets soaked in the toxic water.

We open by establishing Xenotime is a backwater. Ed suspects they want the Philosopher's Stone so they can make gold, outright saying they can only do so with a Stone. Ed acted like he could make gold without it back in Youswell, but he did still need to use the gold coins as starting materials. So maybe I'm right that spontaneously creating gold has only been theorized.

Ed condenses the mine cart into a smaller metal block to get it off of Elisa.

We get cartoon shifts when the townspeople give the obligatory gag of calling Ed short. I find it appropriate. I think what's notable is that it's more restrained than when Brotherhood usually does it – the whole world doesn't change, only one character. There's even additional humor to be had by having everything else proceed as normal while Ed becomes a caricature, I think.

Elisa starts coughing when she raises her voice. That's dark.

They throw the Elric brothers out in what feels like a parallel of the Youswell episode.

Ed doesn't bother making a fancy door when he alchemizes his way in, just a stone panel.

Ed tells the impostor to get on his knees to beg. The impostor starts going on an elaborate bit about how he must be used to people looking down on him. I approve, that's more clever than what we usually get, and it's extra funny to see character trolling on purpose instead of just being ignorant.

Impostor can transmute without a circle. My initial thought was "wait, so he did human transmutation?" but Ed correctly surmises he has a Philosopher's Stone. Yes, that does make more sense. There's even the red lighting motif to make it clear.

Ed is still injured in the scene after.

We cut to the impostors. Little Bro thinks they should split before things get worse, Big Bro insists he has it all under control, but he'll protect Little Bro if it goes south. That's a nice echo of the Elrics' relationship, and also gives them some sympathy points.

Lust is here! First time we've seen her in a while. She says the Elrics are "frustratingly resourceful" – I guess she's basing that on Liore? It seems a little odd to be giving such glowing praise when she's only seen one performance that could have been a fluke. Unless she's been stalking them in other episodes, but the show has been good about making clear when she's doing that.

Ed is using Al's armor as an icepack for his bruise. Aw, that's cute.

Belsio doesn't believe they're the real Elrics.

Belsio says he couldn't just leave two kids out in the cold. So we're still getting acknowledgement of how absurdly young they are, even now that they're a little older.

Ed still has his bruise the next day.

Ed specifically says it's a crime to use the Philosopher's Stone to make gold.

Al is very forgiving of the impostors, saying they must have their reasons.

The only way Russel could claim he was a State Alchemist as a teenager was to impersonate Ed. Ah, it's good to see reinforcement of how very weird that is.

Their dad was an alchemist, but abruptly disappeared one day. Ah, parallels.

Al tells Fletcher to do the right thing and stop his brother if he knows he's doing the wrong thing. Poor Al, trying to live vicariously through a kid whose older brother actually listens to him.

Al lies to Ed and says he hasn't seen the impostors.

Ed says Russel has been fixing tools to gain goodwill. Our Youswell parallels continue.

Russel uses the red stone to turn a lamp into a… very tiny sword that seems the same size. The sword even cracks under Ed's automail, so he didn't even change it into good metal.

Russel creates a hose to the red water tank, in a parallel to Ed's technique on the train.

Ed turns his automail into an umbrella, because he's too extra to just make a regular shield. I would be concerned that there might be acid in there, but Ed seems to know the makeup of the red water.

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 12: "The Other Brothers Elric: Part 2"

Ed and Al reluctantly flee the mansion (at the behest of Fletcher) and though Fletcher is not too harmed by the red water, he and his older brother are imprisoned by Mugear when they refuse to use an alternate method to create the crimson stone at a faster rate. Mugear reveals that he knew they were impostors. Back at Belsio's house, the Elrics learn that Nash Tringham, the father of Russell and Fletcher, was the original discoverer/researcher of the Red stone. After the mining town ran out of gold, Mugear convinced Nash that a Red stone would turn lead into gold and make the town prosperous again but the side affects were toxic red water and sick, dying babies. Elisa was one of those babies until a traveling alchemist doctor, Tim Marcoh, healed Elisa with a mysterious method. Mugiar invites the Elrics to help with the Red stone research and Ed tricks him into taking him down to see the imprisoned Tringham brothers. Ed talks to the older Russell and convinces him that his father abandoned the research when he saw the damage and the Tringham brothers need to find their own path. Ed frees them and faces off against Mugear who tries to attack them with a machine powered by Red stones. With Russell's help, Ed injures Mugear and chases him underground. Mugear is ultimately disposed of and the underground mine shaft collapses, causing the crimson water to flood out of the spring. Fletcher uses alchemy to make the trees absorb the water, neutralizing the threat. Edward and Alphonse say farewell to Russell and Fletcher, boarding a train for East City.

Fletcher uses alchemy to make a tree to bar the door. It's not clear where he got the wood from; the floor doesn't deform.

Russel uses the red stone to absorb the red water off of Fletcher, it looks like.

So Fletcher is fine, apparently…? Pretty disappointing after all that buildup about the toxicity. I guess it's ingestion that's the real problem, so he might be okay if he only got it on his skin.

Mugear has a machine that lets non-alchemists use alchemy. That seems unnecessary? Alchemy isn't bloodline magic, anyone can learn it. He uses it to turn the floorboards into rope-like structures and bind the brothers.

Mugear says he knows the real Ed has an automail arm. Yeah, that seems pretty well-known. Russel should have at least tried to fake that.

Marcoh gets an early cameo in the flashback! The Elrics suspect he used a real Stone, so that's an advancement of the main mystery.

Al tries to get Ed to empathize with the Tringhams by pointing out their motivations are similar. Eh, that's not really true, the Elrics don't really care about their dad.

Apparently the red water can be biologically concentrated by feeding it to pregnant women and extracting the fetus. I wonder if it does have some connection to the real ingredient for the Philosopher's Stone?

Ed successfully freaks Mugear out enough to convince him to see the Tringhams alone. Good quick thinking.

Mugear's alchemic guns run out of ammo. It looks like he tries to add more red stone to reload them, so presumably he is creating matter.

Mugear puts a wall in the passage to block them. Ed points out how dumb that is when they have alchemy, but Mugear was actually waiting on the other side with a loaded gun. Clever!

Ed reseals the wall right as Mugear shoots them, so the shockwave explodes on his side and knocks him down. Also clever!

Mugear is crushed by a falling rock. Kinda disappointing, I was hoping we'd see what death by red water looked like.

Ed raises a massive dam around the estate, which is even more ridiculous than Isaac's glacier. Are there energy limits or not, show?

The trees not only absorb all the water, they grow bigger in the process. I guess that's explaining where all the mass goes, but again, what are energy limits.

And then they DESTROY the trees.

The Trighams plan to use their plant alchemy to help on the farm.

Hah, Russel is taller than Ed despite actually being YOUNGER than him! They're really pounding in the stunted growth.

Conclusion

I think there are a lot of comparisons to be drawn here to the Youswell episode. Once again, this is a mining town; the Elrics face persecution; there is an emphasis on money; the villain is a corrupt official. But this version is much more definitively in OG's style. The plot is complex and twisting, with more grounded and sympathetic antagonists, and the problem has less of the way in human causes: Yoki was causing the town's destitution, but Mugear was genuinely trying to save the economy. It's a much darker and more nuanced depiction of the problems that befall mining towns: the problem goes deeper than just a convenient bad actor you can punch in the face. Even when the military isn't around to make a mess of things, resources still dry up, with all the pressures that implies.

But as a story, it's… eh. I like the first episode, but the conclusion is really blah. A lot better than the Psiren episode, but still a bit too messy and meandering, and it once again has a lot of things that don't quite mesh with other alchemic mechanics. Mugear's weapon is really random and nothing like it will ever come up again; the writers really did seem to be leaning on the trope of bloodline magic and normies needing a crutch to do the same things as the protagonist, when that's pretty much the exact opposite of how magic works in this. Possibly we could take it to mean Mugear didn't want to put in the work of actually studying alchemy, but most of the work seems to be the physical and scientific knowledge you need to effectively manipulate materials in the first place.

Similarly, the alchemy at the end is way too high-power. I am willing to suspend my disbelief a little, since it is a clever solution – basically the puzzle equivalent of the ridiculous action powers displayed in Brotherhood, cool if you don't think about it. But I'm not willing to cut OG as much slack, because the main plot is very much going to be about the mechanics of alchemy, and it is absolutely vital that those mechanics – especially the energy requirements – stay consistent. We can't even use the excuse that the anime is just doing its own thing, because the anime-only alchemy exam episode shows very explicitly that doing something far less impressive than what we see here makes alchemists too weak to even stand. It's possible this represents the writers committing to their theory on where the energy comes from, but it still galls me that no one thought to say, "Hey, shouldn't we add a line to mesh this with what we established only 6 episodes ago?"

You can clearly see how the alchemy's… flavor, for lack of a better term, is different from Brotherhood's, though. We don't see everyone having their own special unique alchemy; the Tringhams use varied alchemy just like the Elrics, and even their specialty of plant alchemy is something we've seen before. There is also a much bigger emphasis on non-combat applications.

The attempts to draw parallels between the Elrics and the Tringhams are… off. They get the feel of it right; their personalities and dynamic are similar. But the actual details are so awkward – their motivations are totally dissimilar, despite the attempts to beat the Elrics into the cliché of caring deeply about their missing dad. The writers are still figuring these characters out, and making a lot of missteps along the way.

And… seriously, he couldn't figure out that the Fullmetal Alchemist had something to do with metal? What did he say when he was asked "so why are you called Fullmetal", likely the first question anyone would ask?

Mugear is also a pretty bland and disappointing villain, though at least he's someone I can actually take seriously and not some absurd fop like Yoki.

[hannahindie]

Hello! So this is a new blog that I've made. I told myself that I wouldn't make a themed blog but I couldn't help myself. I mean, it's SUPERNATURAL. With that said, I was wondering if you could recommend me any blogs to follow. I love Supernatural and reading amazing stories by amazing people. Please LMK. I'd really appreciate it. xx

First of all, I am so sorry for the delay! Life has been crazy busy, and I wanted to make sure to give you a nice, thought out answer!

Keep in mind I’m not 100% Supernatural, although I would say a majority of it is. I follow a few fandoms to varying extents, and so most of the people I follow are also multi-fandom (although they are also mostly Supernatural). So with that disclaimer, welcome to my list of amazing people who write amazing stories and over all just post some excellent content. It’s in no particular order, really (although my absolute loves of my life will probably be closer to the top :D )

Oh, and PS! For those I knew for sure, I tried to put whether they were safe for work or not. I follow a lot of people who don’t have an age limit on theirs, but I also follow a lot that do. Please heed any warnings, which should be listed in their description at the top. None of us want to be involved in destroying what little innocence kids have these days, and also it’s icky. (I only say this because I don’t know how old you are, and I’m covering all the bases. lol) Please respect the authors if they give an age warning. Alright, carry on.

@trexrambling: She is my writing soulmate, my waterbear, and soon to be fellow convention goer. She is one of the first people I talked to in this fandom when I decided to start writing, and is literally one of my closest friends. Her writing is out of this dang world, her imagery is so on point it causes me physical pain (because it’s wonderful and makes me happy…sometimes….sometimes it’s angsty….but still). She’s been super busy lately, but still finds time to post amazing things. Her posts are like 98% safe for work, so if that’s a thing you’re worried about, she’s got you covered. If not, she still has you covered. Your dashboard will thank you for her presence. Promise.

@wheresthekillswitch: She was the very first person I talked to on here, and is one of the primary reasons I continued to write and post my stuff. She introduced me to @trexrambling and my other online bestie (who will be listed below), and is one of the most welcoming and kind people you’ll find on here. She’s an amazing writer, super supportive, and has a sass that I aspire to achieve. I brag on her a lot, but I can’t help it. She posts things other than SPN too, although that’s the majority, and it’s all amazing content. She does have NSFW content, mostly fics, and they will all be labeled as such. Her masterlist is very well put together and should show you the way.

@pinknerdpanda: My fellow Cas girl and of my closest friends. I’m not sure what I would do without her most days, she keeps me pretty sane. Also, we’re basically the same person (even Tumblr got us confused once), so if you like my content you will probably like hers. Her writing is phenomenal, and her imagery is always on point. She writes everything from angst to fluff to straight up crack. (Actually, all three of these ladies I’ve mentioned are versed in most genres.) On occasion, NSFW. She posts great stuff other than her fics, so you will not be disappointed.

@escabell: So this one is a little off what your question might be because she doesn’t write, but lemme tell you a thing about my girl Sandee: she’s an absolute doll and posts some fantastic stuff. She does amazing reviews for fics, which means she shares some really awesome stories, and her content is fantastic. She does post things other than SPN (my personal faves are all the Sebastian Stan she sends my way), but it’s well worth it. Her SPN stuff is always really awesome.

@deanssweetheart23: Good Lord, go read her stuff. Just go do it. She’s a brilliant writer and an amazing person and just…do yourself a favor and do it. She can literally write anything. Not only that, but she does amazing reblogs that will introduce you to other amazing writers and fics, so there will always be something to check out. She’s legit one of my favorite people on here, and you won’t be disappointed. (I am saying this a lot about all of these people, but like seriously. It’s legit.) I believe most of her stuff is safe for work, mostly just smut adjacent stuff if even that. Her ability to slow burn and give you just enough information to get your imagination going is unrivaled.

@anticipate1003 is a newer blog, but her writing is amazing! She’s also a super awesome person, and incredibly talented. I’m so glad I was able to find her (another thanks to wheresthekillswitch for that), and you’ll enjoy it.

@kathaswings: Just look at her entire masterlist, honestly. She’s super nice, has great content, and always has nice things to say about fics. (I’m not sure if you’ll be writing or you’re doing this strictly to share wonderful writers and read some great stuff, but ya know.) Her feedback always makes me smile, and so do her words.

@theriverscribe: Her imagery is on point, and I love reading her words. She’s super nice, and always has lovely SPN content.

@seenashwrite: I don’t even know where to start with Nash. She’s hysterical, sassy, and her writing style…dude, I don’t even know. Follow Nash. Her masterlist is awesome, and she also writes up some super awesome fic recs so you can find some other great authors. She puts on a great game of Supernatural Cards Against Humanity, so I’d keep an eye out for that too.

@rosie-winchester: Rosie is awesome, and writes super well. She often shares a lot of stuff that I enjoy, and mostly posts SPN. She’s also one of my favorites on here!

@super-not-naturall: I’ve mentioned her on a fic rec list before and I’ll do it again. I love her words, and she’s awesome. She’s busy with school, so I’m always excited to see when she’s posted again. She writes really well and is super enthusiastic, and she makes me happy. I believe she would also make you happy. :)

@amanda-teaches: Again, just check out her Masterlist. It is chock full of great stories. I don’t talk to her as much as some of the others on this list, but I always get excited when I get a notification from her, and she posts quality stuff.

I’m running out of time, so I’m just going to jot down some other bloggers that I like, without as much detail. I know I’m missing people, and I didn’t get nearly as in depth as I wanted to, but keep an eye out. When I have time, I’m going to try to do a fic/writer rec on occasion. I have a hard time keeping up so I’m dreadfully behind, but hopefully after my cons are done, I’ll have some time to breathe.

Here are some other blogs that I think you would enjoy!

@oneshoeshort@mamaredd123@rhapsody-in-flannel@canadianjelly@ravengirl94@littlegreenplasticsoldier

Again, this is not nearly everything I could put but I’m running low on time today. Look for more hopefully sometime soon. :)

[williamsjoan]

DualShockers’ Game of the Year 2018 Staff Lists — Hoffmann’s Top 10

As 2018 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2018 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2018 releases — can be considered.

This year had a lot of great releases, but I still play many games that were released before 2018. Some I play to shrink my giant backlog a bit, while others, like Street Fighter V, I continue to play because they are still getting updates and are a lot of fun online.

It was difficult to choose just ten personal games for me in 2018, especially since I played many older ones. I bought way too many great games on PC in the last two years, thanks to Humble Monthly, and many other bundles alongside individual purchases.

Now, here are my Top 10:

10. GemCraft: Chasing Shadows

This tower defense game was released back in 2014, and it’s already the fourth game of the series. It is a true beast of a game with almost 200 levels and each of them can be a mighty challenge..IF you use the different options and battle traits + difficulty modes to make them one.

It is my most played game according to Steam so far, with over 330 hours. This year I took on the Iron Wizard challenge mode, which removes many features that made the game easier in its normal mode. The developer is currently working on the fifth game in the series that might come with many new features, but will also continue to build on the surprisingly deep and dark story of the GemCraft games.

9. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Yup, I am playing really old games that most people played years ago already sometimes. I love to play many good games, but the majority of my time is usually for fighting games and single-player adventures as the exceptions.

Sometime this summer, I finally started Batman: Arkham Asylum on PC and was…well, hooked. It took me some days and nights to get through it, but they were an awesome experience. The game still looks nice and plays well in 2018, and I am looking forward to playing and beat Arkham City in 2019.

8. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend

First of all, the BlazBlue games are a wonderful series of technical fighting games, but they also have a story mode that kicks ass. Unlike the big cinematic experiences in the Netherrealm Studios fighting games like Mortal Kombat X and Injustice, they are going for the visual novel style which can be boring for those that want to see action instead of reading or listening to it, especially the sometimes cringy dialogue.

But if you like this type of story-telling, the BlazBlue games are doing a damn fine job. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend especially has a big main story but also individual story modes for the over 20 characters, and also a few extra stories. I played both the arcade mode and all the story stuff this year and believe that the BlazBlue universe can cause you even more headaches than the Kingdom Hearts ones.

But…I laughed often and that means it was worth the around 50 hours!

7. Grim Dawn

Grim Dawn is a hack & slash (& shoot) action-RPG by the TitanQuest developers, released in 2016 and one of the games that are constantly getting free updates and additions alongside purchasable expansions. Beside its grim setting, it is as addicting to me as Diablo II: Lord of Destruction was many years ago.

Even today and after many hours of playtime I did not see all the skills of every class or discover all the additional parts of the big world this game offers. I stopped playing Diablo 3 years ago as it was just not my thing, but this game is my favorite Diablo-like game now since its launch. It is still getting content, including a big second expansion soon that comes with another character class. Oh well…

6. DOOM

I loved the old DOOM games and also the fantastic Brutal Doom Mod, but I had just too many other games to play in 2016 and 2017. In June this year, I eventually started 2016’s DOOM and did not play another game before I beat this damn gem of a first-person shooter, which took around 15 hours for me.

Everything in this game just screams “TESTOSTERONE,” from the awesome industrial metal soundtrack to the fast and very brutal gameplay, and being a protagonist that is more dangerous than even the Cyber-Demon himself. Can’t wait for DOOM Eternal now.

Check out the DualShockers review of DOOM.

5. Earth Defense Force 4.1

To save our mother Earth from any alien attack From vicious giant insects who have once again come back We’ll unleash all our forces, we won’t cut them any slack The EDF deploys!

Play it…love it. This is one of the best video games ever created, and for me personally in the same league as Tetris, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Street Fighter II and Alien 3 on the SNES.

I can’t wait to play Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain next.

E.D.F! E.D.F!!! E.D.F!!!!!!

4. Dungeon Warfare 2

Dungeon Warfare 2 is basically a tower defense game but instead of towers, the player has a ton of different (over 30) traps to use against the masses of humans that want to enter the dungeon. The game has a ton of maps to defend, and the player has to learn strategies and also how to use runes that raise the difficulty of the enemies. But, this also results in bigger rewards for clearing the map and is accompanied by a super fitting metal soundtrack.

I bought this indie game at launch on Steam in July and played almost 60 hours so far. If you like defense-like games, being the evil guy, using traps, and you just love to listen to the death screams of your enemies…Dungeon Warfare 2 is something for you.

3. Yakuza 0

Yakuza 0 was first released on the PlayStation 3 in Japan back in 2015 already, but it is also the first Yakuza game released for the PC. It took SEGA three years to port it, but the game did not feel old or anything to me since I did not play the current-gen Yakuza games like Yakuza Kiwami 2 and Yakuza 6 yet.

The graphics in Yakuza 0 look greater than ever before on PC, and the game itself is just like a rollercoaster ride through Japanese culture and the Japanese Mafia that the series gets its name from. The two absolutely lovable main protagonists, Kiryu Kazumi and Goro Majima, are a highlight in the sometimes funny, but sometimes also very sad main story.

This game illustrates how video games can be a perfect platform for a combination of an emotional story, relatively simple beat’em up gameplay, a sightseeing tour through Tokyo, and many short stories that are helping both main protagonists to express their very different personalities. I played it for around 40 hours to beat the main story, around 45 of the over 80 side stories, and I am now getting motivated to beat the complete Yakuza game series someday.

Check out the DualShockers review of Yakuza 0.

2. Super Meat Boy

This wonderful game starts so easy…and becomes a nightmare as soon as you meet the first boss. Super Meat Boy truly made me appreciate difficult level design more than any other video game I know about. I beat it by playing only 1-3 levels per day to not lose my mind in the last worlds.

This is one of the best 2D platformers ever made, and if you like a “meaty” experience get it, play it, and try to bat it completely, including all the extra characters and stages.

Good luck.

Check out the DualShockers review of Super Meat Boy.

1. Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition

I originally bought Street Fighter V on February 16, 2016 but returned it after only a few days, since I was absolutely not happy with the game and how problematic it was, especially the online matches. However, I got a good deal with the PC version in December 2017 instead and also bought the first two season characters.

While I had some fun already with the story mode in the original version of Street Fighter V, I was looking forward to the Arcade Edition and since then, it has not disappointed. The Arcade Edition would add a real arcade mode as well as weekly Fight Money based challenges in the form of Shadaloo Soldiers, and the option to “unlock” extra costumes like the really cool Captain Commando costume for Nash.

To make it short, Street Fighter V is an excellent fighting game that has really a ton of content for both single players and weirdos like me that love to fight world warriors from everywhere and show them some #PsychoPower. And since I first played the game, the Arcade Edition shows it has come a long way.

I have played this game for over 300 hours off and online now since December 2017, and have some fun with it almost every day. Grab it and challenge me : )

Check out the other DualShockers’ staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 17: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2018 December 18: Lou Contaldi, Editor in Chief // Logan Moore, Reviews Editor December 19: Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor // Tomas Franzese, News Editor December 20: Scott Meaney, Community Director December 21: Reinhold Hoffmann, Community Manager // Ben Bayliss, Staff Writer December 22: Ben Walker, Staff Writer // Chris Compendio, Staff Writer December 23: Eoghan Murphy, Staff Writer // Grant Huff, Staff Writer December 26: Iyane Agossah, Staff Writer // Jordan Boyd, Staff Writer December 27: Max Roberts, Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Staff Writer  December 28: Noah Buttner, Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Staff Writer  December 29: Steven Santana, Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer December 30: Travis Verbil, Staff Writer // Zack Potter, Staff Writer

The post DualShockers’ Game of the Year 2018 Staff Lists — Hoffmann’s Top 10 by Reinhold Hoffmann appeared first on DualShockers.

DualShockers’ Game of the Year 2018 Staff Lists — Hoffmann’s Top 10 published first on https://timloewe.tumblr.com/

[usatrendingsports]

Oklahoma freshman Trae Younger’s profession is retreating a lot Before anticipated

It was on the opposite facet of the planet this previous summer season when Trae Younger unexpectedly revealed to teammates his one and solely phobia. Because the Oklahoma star freshman level guard was on the brink of climb the volcanic cone of Mount Eden, which overlooks Auckland, New Zealand, one thing particular spooked him.

“We had been strolling to get one thing to eat on this island, and we needed to stroll by means of the seaside,” Oklahoma sophomore Jordan Shepherd mentioned. “He [Young] stayed very removed from us. He was virtually nearer to the road than the seaside.”

OK. A short freakout — simply Younger performing slightly bizarre. However then got here the horror in Australia a number of days later. The setting: attractive, horseshoe-shaped Sydney Harbor, with the town’s world-famous Opera Home within the not-so-far distance. Ferry boats moan whereas outlets and eating places bustle with vacationers from across the globe. Oklahoma’s group was taking a morning stroll on its method to a guided tour.

“Then Trae runs and hides behind [teammate] Hannes [Polla],” Sooners junior Jamuni McNeace mentioned. “We’re strolling by the pier when a pigeon runs up on him.” 

The situation is named ornithophobia. Trae Younger is deathly afraid of birds.

“Then there is a group of [pigeons] at this level,” McNeace mentioned. “We ran to the birds to make them fly round. And he took off operating within the different course.”

The group additionally visited an Australian rainforest close to the town of Cairns. You get there by going up a glass-covered gondola. The journey permits individuals to expertise the websites of Cairn resting in opposition to the wildlife of the elevated forest.

“Yeah, and once we went over to the rainforest, the little parrots had been flying previous us,” McNeace mentioned. “He was freaking out.”

Younger does not belief birds, does not know what he would do if his life flashed earlier than his eyes by coming face-to-beak with a crow, cuckoo, sparrow, spoonbill, goose, grouse, turkey, toucan, flamingo or falcon.

“We had been in New Zealand and would go to the seashores and all that stuff,” Younger mentioned. “You know the way birds could be pleasant to individuals? I hate birds. All you see is the ocean, the sand and birds flying over you. The birds making an attempt to eat the crabs within the sand they usually’re all subsequent to you. I’ve seen a chook assault one in all my pals at my highschool within the parking zone. Yeah. It scared her. The chook was by her automotive, she tried to show and get in her automotive however the chook was so scared it simply attacked her.” 

Teammates suspect this Kevin Hart bit about ostriches has solely strengthened Younger’s avifaunal neurosis. A pair months again, Shepherd, Younger and teammate Chris Giles had been on the brink of go away the fitness center. There is a stairwell out from the power to the parking zone. A pigeon waited within the stairwell, taunting Younger. He refused to go away together with his teammates and took the great distance out to a different exit. 

“Like, I do not perceive what somebody would do if a chook attacked them,” Younger mentioned. “I do not know the way a chook would assault a human, simply by poking them with their faces? Or their ft in your face? I am scared. Flapping their wings: what do you do? Do you seize it? … After which the large ones, the roadrunners, they’re lethal to me. Scary. I am unable to mess with them. I’ve had nightmares about birds.”

Luckily, Younger’s ornithophobia does not prolong to the metaphorical. In opposition to the Ball State Cardinals on Nov. 15, the Sooners freshman went for 22 factors and a season-high 13 assists. He dropped a season-high 43 factors on the Oregon Geese 11 days later on the PK80. And whereas actual roadrunners petrify Younger, on Monday he scored 28 factors vs. the united states meep-meeps, marking his fifth straight sport with at the very least that many factors. 

Younger’s quirky concern of birds will not be the one uncommon factor about him. He leads the nation in scoring (28.7 ppg) and is third in assists (eight.7 per sport) … as a freshman. The 6-foot-2 level guard is exhibiting uncommon adaptation expertise to Division I. Even in an period the place one-and-done sorts usually step into faculty and turn into dominant forces from sport one, gamers who accomplish that are usually lengthy wings, domineering forwards or unicorn-type huge males. The emblems of proof over the previous decade embrace Kevin Durant, Greg Oden, Anthony Davis, Jabari Parker, Karl-Anthony Cities — even Marvin Bagley III and DeAndre Ayton this season. All of these gamers are bigs and none really flirted with averaging 30 factors, or had been chargeable for greater than 35 % of their group’s offense, the way in which Younger is showcasing now. 

Even former stud freshman level guards like Derrick Rose and John Wall did not have close to the taking pictures or distribution capacity Younger is already boasting. Faculty basketball’s common season is already almost 1/Three achieved and no participant has confirmed to be extra very important to his membership than the 19-year-old hometown hero. Younger’s from Norman, Oklahoma, so fortunate for Lon Kruger and his program that the long-bombing, dazzle-dishing Younger opted out of going to Kentucky or Kansas and as a substitute stayed native. It is a easy 11-minute drive from his home to the Lloyd Noble Middle, Oklahoma’s dwelling area. On some days, Trae has lunch together with his mother, Candice. 

In choosing Oklahoma, Younger has modified the trajectory of this system. Two years after the Sooners rode Buddy Hield’s scorching hand and participant of the 12 months marketing campaign to the Ultimate 4, Younger is main Oklahoma’s resurgence to nationwide relevance. Although the 2017-18 season’s nonetheless in its adolescence, Younger is already trending towards turning into a Sooners legend, becoming a member of the ranks of Wayman Tisdale, Stacey King, Blake Griffin and Hield. 

Let’s handle the Steph factor. Comparisons to Stephen Curry had been occasional when Younger performed his method to five-star standing on the recruiting circuit, however they’ve turn into a media evaluation prerequisite in mild of Younger doing this type of stuff on an every-game foundation. 

(Video through Sam Vecenie/The Fieldhouse)

As a result of Younger is a scoring level guard with a inexperienced mild to accommodate his multi-zip-code vary, “the following Steph Curry” chatter and clickbait is unavoidable. Ask Younger about it, and he is honored — however Curry will not be even his favourite NBA participant; Steve Nash is. Younger’s father, Ray, was a star at Texas Tech within the 1990s who had a cup of espresso within the NBA earlier than taking part in within the ABA (pre D-League period) then spent virtually a decade taking part in in Europe. Ray would get edited DVDs of NBA gamers despatched to him. Trae, who’s performed basketball since he was 5 and been an obsessive for the reason that fifth grade, would research tape on everybody from Nash to Jamal Crawford to Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Tony Parker and sure, in fact, Curry. 

“I am a giant Steve Nash fan as a result of he was a smaller level guard — wasn’t probably the most athletic, may actually shoot, very cerebral,” Younger mentioned. “Loads of his intangibles actually match my sport, like his contact.”

The Steph comparisons do not a lot trouble him, however he is fast to level out that he needs to include options from quite a lot of gamers in an effort to have his sport standalone by itself deserves.

“I really feel I resemble a number of gamers,” Younger mentioned. “I grew up watching Steph, however I additionally watched movie on Tony Parker, the way in which he finishes across the rim. Steve Nash, the way in which he has contact with a floater sport. Kyrie Irving, the way in which he can get by a defender. I really feel like I resemble quite a lot of Damian Lillard with quite a lot of his aggressiveness and his capacity to get to the rim. I really feel like I’ve slightly little bit of Steph in my sport relating to vary, but it surely’s not simply Steph.”

Nonetheless, as Younger moved by means of highschool the household’s DVR reminiscence would fill to close capability. Ray Younger could not file the issues he wished to file — as a result of Trae had saved up so many Golden State Warriors video games. 

“He can accomplish that many various issues it might probably destroy apply as a result of he is so good.”Carlin Hartman, OU assistant

“I am honored to be in comparison with a man like Stephen Curry,” Younger mentioned. “I wish to be the most effective model of myself. I wish to be labeled as the most effective Trae Younger. I wish to be the most effective level guard in faculty basketball.”

The Curry comp is simple to see. What’s fascinating is how Younger’s sport will not be like Buddy Hield’s in any respect. That speaks to Lon Kruger’s teaching and pro-style system. The Sooners are a load on offense after they’ve acquired a guard who can pour it on. Kruger performed Hield off the ball, utilizing screens and discovering methods to beat groups with artistic offensive tweaks and an avalanche of Three-point makes an attempt. With Younger, he is been given the keys and is wreaking havoc by dictating tempo and making choices on his personal. No freshman level guard this season has been afforded the slack and authority like Younger. Regardless of what highlights will stick, it isn’t all Three-pointers from 23-26 ft both. He has an excellent stop-and-go acceleration along with a distributor’s mindset buoyed with a shooter’s killer intuition. For Oklahoma to not make the most of his expertise as a lot because it has could be silly. That is discovered cash.

It is also astonishing to see a participant given this a lot duty and to right away thrive the way in which Younger has. 

The deep shot’s all the time been there. It Younger’s reward. Even when his type is not good at this level, Younger’s a pure shooter and that artistry will translate to the following stage. However watch him play now, see how he peels and curls round a protection — you would be stunned to study Younger was petrified of taking part in the purpose till he acquired to highschool. He did not wish to dribble, did not need the ball in his arms, opting as a substitute to take a seat on the wing and be a catch-and-shoot one-dimensional choice. 

“I advised him when he was a freshman, or possibly within the eighth grade, ‘Trae, in the event you’re simply going to be a 6-1, 6-2 child that may shoot, you are in all probability going to be going to a D-II faculty,”http://ift.tt/1OPItWM; Ray Younger mentioned. 

Now he is a ball-on-a-string maestro and a complicated pupil in pick-and-roll. Younger’s effectivity is a marvel by means of virtually a month’s price of the season. He is chargeable for Oklahoma’s scoring on 37 % of its possessions (fourth highest in Division I) and has an offensive score of 125.9 at KenPom.com. These numbers are inflammatory. Nobody in faculty basketball is near that quantity of productiveness. On 47 % of Oklahoma’s possessions when Younger’s on the ground, the help is coming from him. That is extremely efficient. It is why he is confirmed to be extra statistically and tangibly useful at this level than Duke phenom Marvin Bagley III, who’s a logical Participant of the 12 months frontrunner as we flip to Christmastime. 

How ridiculous has Younger’s first month been? As Rob Dauster at NBC Sports activities wrote not too long ago, he is acquired a shot at being the primary participant in 27 seasons to common 28 factors and eight assists. (Terrell Lowery, Loyola Marymount.) He additionally may turn into the primary participant within the KenPom period (courting again to 2003-04) to have a utilization fee 35.Zero or above and an ORtg clocking in at 125-plus. Although the season’s nonetheless younger, Younger’s a stupendous instance of the place the visible superiority of a participant gets reinforced by the statistics to inform an atypical story. 

Trae Younger’s numbers are gaudy by necessity. He has turned Oklahoma’s program round.  Getty Photos

From a group perspective, this is how Younger’s talent set has mutated Oklahoma’s group efficiency. 

The Sooners’ common possession on offense lasts 13 seconds (fourth-fastest within the nation). 

The Sooners are averaging 94.Four factors, second within the nation. 

At 61.7 % from 2-point vary, the Sooners rank fourth general. 

Their 77.Four possessions per sport makes OU the sixth-fastest group in faculty basketball. 

A lot of that is Younger’s doing. For comparability, the Hield-led Sooners from 2015-16 did not play quick and weren’t pretty much as good down low. Younger’s Three-point taking pictures is a risk however is not but computerized. That is what’s actually intriguing. He is virtually definitely going to get higher.

“We would be foolish to not suppose there are specific points to his sport that may proceed to raise,” Sooners assistant Carlin Hartman mentioned. “Truthfully, we all know we’ve this particular expertise. We’re making an attempt to get all events and all cylinders going. We’re permitting it to occur. We all know what it is prefer to have a man within the final 5 minutes of the sport with the ball in his arms, what he can do for us, like within the Oregon sport.”

Groups are already making an attempt to restrict Oklahoma’s possessions and bicker Younger out of getting the ball. Some have taken to full-court press, others have schemed methods to get the ball out of his arms early in possessions. In prep for this, Oklahoma’s employees is throwing junk defenses and each form of advanced have a look at him in apply to get him ready for a brutally deep Massive 12. The remainder of the group is engaged on methods to instinctively transfer and area in Four-on-Three conditions due to it. 

“He can accomplish that many various issues it might probably destroy apply as a result of he is so good,” Hartman mentioned. 

Oklahoma’s athletic division has had a extremely good 2017. With quarterback Baker Mayfield thought-about a lock to win the Heisman Trophy, the Sooners soccer group is headed to the Faculty Soccer Playoff because the No. 2 seed. Oklahoma’s a soccer faculty in a soccer city in a soccer state in a soccer area. 

Blake Griffin and Trae Younger at Blake’s camp in 2011. Picture supplied by Ray Younger

The basketball group does not often deliver out sturdy crowds in non-conference play, not throughout soccer season. However Younger has modified that. He is moved ticket gross sales and merchandize. His title is extra emphasised in pre-game intros (and introduced final). He all the time will get the loudest cheer. It has been a full-circle journey. The rationale the Younger household lives in Norman is due to Candice Younger, Trae’s mom and Ray’s highschool sweetheart. Initially from Shawnee, Oklahoma, Candice made the decision after Ray’s retirement from basketball to select Norman over Lubbock, Texas (the place Ray is from and performed in faculty). It wound up being an excellent transfer for Ray as a result of he already knew then-Sooners coach Kelvin Sampson as a result of Sampson recruited him. 

Ray’s relationships with individuals at OU led to an excellent gig for a younger boy trying to take in as a lot basketball as he may. Within the late aughts, when Blake Griffin grew to become a nationwide faculty celebrity, a scrawny, keen gradeschooler may very well be noticed shagging balls for the fellows on scholarship. Trae Younger wished to wipe the ground throughout sport stoppages as effectively, however they mentioned he was too younger and small to take action. 

It is a surreal factor for some in the neighborhood to see Trae starring on that Noble Middle crimson-colored flooring. Trae’s been going to Oklahoma video games since he was 7 or eight years outdated, even earlier than he idolized Griffin. They’re very grateful for him down there in Norman — they usually remind him day by day. Younger’s lived the lifetime of native superstar for a number of years. His recruitment was a suspenseful one, one thing eagerly tracked as a lot as virtually any soccer recruit. He simply may have opted to do what most five-star prospects who develop up close to a faculty that is not recognized initially for basketball: decide a unique faculty, an even bigger basketball faculty.

He virtually did. 

“He was going to Kentucky or Kansas,” Ray Younger mentioned. “It wasn’t even that huge of a debate for some time. As soon as he acquired the provide from Kentucky, it is like, ‘Dad, Coach (John) Calipari simply left our home.’ I might by no means say it was a achieved deal as a result of we actually preferred Coach (Invoice) Self quite a bit, and being across the coaches at Oklahoma and Coach Kruger, however there was no means he was not going to go to Kentucky, for about six or eight months. That is the factor individuals do not perceive. He actually wished to go there however issues did not work out.”

Why not? Younger truly may need been too good for his personal good so far as Kentucky was involved. Younger averaged a ridiculous 42.6 factors his senior season of highschool. He is all the time been a quantity scorer. It is key to recollect, although, that Younger did not even crack the highest 20 of his recruiting class. He was a promising participant however somebody seen as maybe a bit too skinny, a bit an excessive amount of of a ball-controlling participant and never adequate but defensively to be that common gotta-have-him recruit. 

“I really feel like I’ve all the time been ignored, even in highschool,” Younger mentioned. “I really feel like I am quite a bit stronger than I look. If I used to be that small I would not have the ability to take hits like I do and get to the rim if I used to be that small. I’ve misleading energy. I truly chortle once I hear these feedback.”  

Calipari and his well-known no-nonsense recruiting pitch, may make no guarantees for Younger. For a lot of his recruitment, Younger hoped to play in faculty with one in all his two greatest pals: Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. or Kentucky’s Jarred Vanderbilt.  

“Michael Porter was by no means going to Kentucky,” Ray Younger mentioned. “For the longest time Trae and Mike wished to play collectively. When Michael Porter Sr. acquired the job at Washington, we strongly thought-about Kentucky. Issues modified, we began watching each groups (Kentucky and Kansas) and taking a look at issues a bit otherwise.”

“If going to Kentucky was greatest for me, I might’ve achieved that.”Trae Younger

Trae determined he did not wish to get right into a scenario the place he felt misplaced. He wished to be the man straight away as a result of — as has been confirmed now — he was able to operating an offense instantly. He’s a program-changing participant, however possibly it depends upon this system. 

“If you go to the following stage you wish to really feel comfy,” Younger mentioned. “If going to Kentucky was greatest for me, I might’ve achieved that.”

Oklahoma (6-1) is now blooming into an offensive juggernaut and will have an even bigger turnaround than any major-conference program this season; the Sooners gained simply 11 video games in 2016-17. Subsequent up is 2 big video games: Friday evening vs. No. 25 USC, then No. 6 Wichita State on the street on Dec. 16. Younger will go up in opposition to an amazing senior level guard in USC’s Jordan McLaughlin, then face a proficient possible future professional level guard in Wichita State’s Landry Shamet. 

If he thrives in opposition to these guys, Younger will proceed to shortly credit score his teammates, simply as he is achieved since gam one. He makes unnamed references to level guards who’re score-first, score-second, score-third, pass-fourth, and he rejects any notion that he is that form of participant. Watch the tape, verify his numbers. He needs to common double-digit assists. He is proving to be an excellent inventor of O for OU.  

“It is quite a bit simpler for me to be a pacesetter when I’ve guys like Khadeem, who’re leaders as effectively,” he mentioned of senior Khadeem Lattin, who, by the way in which, is sort of averaging a double-double (11.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg). “I like getting my teammates concerned.”

The season’s nonetheless in improvement, so his averages may effectively dip, however they’re unlikely to drastically drop. Younger’s expertise are so innate and plain — he’s so purely pleasant to observe — he may turn into one of the well-known gamers within the sport by the point we get to February. This may very well be his time of innocence, earlier than he turns into a widespread basketball superstar. If that occurs, it will likely be fascinating to see how issues change for him on a nationwide stage. He is already lived with the eye shut by for years. Will the following part come naturally? 

“He is been in a scenario the place he is been form of a celeb in Norman for the final 4 years,” Hartman mentioned. “The way in which he is dealt with that superstar has been outstanding for a child that’s form of scrutinized each day each time he walks out of his dorm room. He is very humble. He actually, really is a basketball fan. Research it, loves it. Is aware of the place he’s in time and place. He is aware of the historical past of Oklahoma basketball. He is aware of of Wayman Tisdale, he is aware of Buddy Hield, he is aware of Jeff Webster, Stacey King, guys which have come earlier than him and had the success. He is aware of it, appreciates it and is keen to be the one to step ahead to attempt to tackle the mantle to tackle the mantle of being the following nice Oklahoma Sooner.” 

Amazingly, he is already on the precipice of that. Just a few extra 40-point video games and he’ll be greater than on his method to legendary native standing. A pupil of the sport’s historical past. A movie junkie. A son — and pupil — of a former professional. A Sooners fan since he was Four ft small. Oklahoma is permitting Trae to be Trae. Not Steph, not anybody else. Simply Trae. He is the unorthodox participant who took the choice route by choosing the neighborhood path to nationwide recognition. 

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[fireontherun]

Saving Grace

Gabe: Reclaiming my fallen Beretta, I’m on her heels like some loyal puppy. “Come again? Jul…i…ahohshit.” I don’t even make it three more steps before I fall to a knee, feeling doped beyond belief. I try to shake it off. I try to reach her, but my hand goes for my gun and it’s lights out. “Hun-GABRIEL!” I shout, coming to in the back of a government-issue Suburban, windows blacked out. Of course. “Welcome back, Mr. Nash.” I look around for Julia, my eyes narrowing into a glare. “She’s fine. She’ll be arriving in more /secure/ transportation, Mr. Nash.” Fortunately for the suit next to me, my arms are flex-cuffed behind my back. “You’re quite the catch. Former Sergeant Nash of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Wanted on five counts of aggravated homicide, violation of the Geneva Convention, i.e. rules of engagement; need I go on? You’re looking at, what? Consecutive life sentences? If not a needle…” He closes the file, giving me a smug once over. I’m giving his Suburban a once over, looking for weaknesses. “The United Stares Government would like to thank you for your service, son. Consider this your dismissal.” Of all charges? Well I’ll be goddamned. “So that’s that? And Julia?” He adjusts his horn-rimmed glasses. “Government property returned to the rightful hands. Juliet-6 won’t be going anywhere for a /long/ time.” I get a lump in my throat. “You see now; that’s unfortunate.” And before he can even shit himself, I’m out of the cuffs, with his own sidearm pushed into his temple. “They keep driving or my finger here slips. Take me to her!”

Julia: {My last image of Jupiter replaying in my drug induced dreams, with a groan but feeling really hung over. Why can’t I move?} Jupiter, you’re heavy. {Mumbling as I blink my eyes open, my heart sinking immediately and my panic setting in. I know these walls. Or at least walls like these. Looking down at my body only confirms what I knew would be in place. Special government-issue fire proof restraints designed just for me, and an intravenous line poking in my arm. The bag would be secured somewhere behind the wall pumping a cocktail of whatever they wanted it to. I knew there were cameras somewhere, and that they were watching. They always watched me. All those years spent in a lab, I never got a second of privacy. I hoped they let Jupiter go, but since I knew the kind of monsters they were, I knew better than to think I they had. Forcing myself to not relive how his kisses felt or especially that last gentle one on my temple. I couldn’t ruminate. The only way I’d survive is by shutting completely down. Taking a deep breath as I did just that. My face growing expressionless as I waited for the monsters to begin their tortuous games. I only had to wait minutes before a man I hadn’t seen before walked in. The way he studied me as if I was a rare specimen made my insides crawl. “Juliet-6. We have been looking for you for quite some time now. Welcome home.” I continued staring at him with absent eyes as he continued. “We have several new protocols that we have come up with, you’ll be starting the first, well, right about now.” As soon as he finished his sentence, his mouth twisted into a sadistic smirk and I what felt like hell if it was frozen, worked it’s way through the i.v. in my arm. I locked my jaw holding in the scream that wanted to come, it was just that excruciatingly painful but I couldn’t give them the satisfaction. Fucking animals.}

Gabe: I might get inside the level 5 security death house, but getting us out? That’s a one-way ticket, my friend. I hadn’t thought this through. Like, at all. I’ll blame the nice cocktail of stabilizers, tranqs, and amphetamines running through my veins on the lack of foresight. “Keep walking if you wanna live.” I use Glasses here as my human shield for mowing down anyone who reaches or gets in my way. Wait–Janitor. “Not your day to die, man! Go on! Get outta here!” One last door. “Open it!” A punch to the kidney should persuade him. “NOW! Fuck it!” I take his key card and do it myself. “Jules?” The sight of her strapped to a table pisses me the fuck off, raising the ire in me to epic proportions. The fucktard standing over her gets a slug in the brain, and Glasses gets kicked to the wall. “Don’t. Move! DO NOT MOVE! Julia? Julia!” I find the release for her straps. My peripheral doesn’t move from asshat as I start pulling cords, tubes, and–BANG! Funny. That sounded like a gunshot. But Glasses is over…and I didn’t leave anybody but “The janitor?” BANG! BANG! I throw myself over Julia, protecting her. It doesn’t register that I’ve been hit twice until my knees give out. At least the first shot missed. “Not. Like. This…” And at least I’m taking the fucking janitor with me. I lay in a pool of my own blood, starting to choke on my own blood. “Jules. Go. Run. Baby g–”

Julia: {The protocol they gave me was one hellacious torture game. It left me weak, disoriented, and came so very close to making me that level of compliant they had always wanted. I wanted to beg for mercy, it hurt so bad. At full strength I would have already incinerated this place, no quarter for anyone here. That anyone could put another human being through such hell…they deserved to be wiped off the face of the earth. I hear the door crash open but I’m paralyzed. My eyes catch visions of Jupiter in the edges of my vision, but as heavy as this stupor is, I think I’m dreaming. It isn’t until I hear the gunshots, and feel hands freeing me, that I actually believe it’s real. My limbs don’t want to cooperate, and what I wouldn’t give to be able to disappear to safety instantly with Jupiter. My brain feels sluggish as I get off that hated table, and that’s when the nightmare goes from bad to worse. I am powerless, able to do nothing but watch as Jupiter gets shot. Fuck me, why would he cover me like that?! Why did he even come for me? No one has ever, /ever/ done anything for me unless it was part of an end game strategy. My hand gently strokes his face as I try against all hope to call forth any trickle of a flame. Removal could happen later, stopping the blood flow was critical now. I feel water in my eyes as it hits me the possibility that he just willingly walked into his death for me.} I’m not taking that debt, Jupiter. {I’m muttering under my breath, and I am feeling enraged…the tiniest spark appearing at the end of my fingertip. Yes! I siphon every last bit of whatever reservoir that I can concentrating on one focused flame through my palm, I lay over the gushing bullet holes on his chest, stopping the flow instantly. I’m so grateful he is unconscious, I have no idea how he would react if he knew about my fires. And now was just not a good place to have that conversation. Concentrate, Jul. Stopped bleeding out? Check. Evac? In progress. Sighing as I gauged how heavy he was. If it wasn’t for adrenaline…out the door, down the hallway, then I hit a roadblock. And by roadblock I mean, guard with a needle’s worth of whatever they were putting into my iv. He thought he could shoot me up and neutralize, in his arrogant stupidity he missed and plunged that syringe full of my hated poison into Jupiter instead. I dropped him on the ground, turning on the guard in a second. And by turning on, I mean, I lit him up like the Fourth of July. He was a pile of screaming smoldering ash in less than a minute flat. I had to stand away from Jupiter until I could safely touch him again. That was the bad part of turning into fire, body temp went high, collateral damage was possible. I dragged Jupiter out of the building, smashing security panels along my way until I finally reached the outside. If I was alone, this place would not exist anymore, but I wouldn’t risk the time it would take for it’s destruction when every minute would likely end up counting for him. Evac? Check. Rolling down the garage style door down behind us, a tub of first aid in the trenches type supplies on the floor next to Jupiter. He can’t be dead. That? Can’t happen. I’m slicing clothes open, cleaning off blood, digging out bullets, stitching closed using every trick I know from my medical book of knowledge and the help of my flame, trying desperately to save him. I work until my eyes start seeing double, tears pooling at the creases. I scream in frustration, hitting a fist hard against his chest. Saving Jupiter? Looks like I failed. I lay down next to him on the ground. My hands still bloody, all that adrenaline spent and I’m crashing hard. My memories of him very much alive, those hours spent together before I got captured, those kisses, that intimacy that was shared as we took pleasure from each other’s bodies…He was full of life, and strength…and now? It was my fault he was lying dead here on the floor.} I’m sorry, Jupiter. I’m…so sorry.